Goodreads in Review – Be A Bookworm, Any Time, Any Place!

For book lovers reading this, chances are you already know what Goodreads is. If not, it’s basically a social network for readers. According to their website, it’s the largest of its kind in the world, with in excess of 3 million members.

The website allows you to become friends with people, recommend books, get recommendations, see reviews and scores and add books to your ‘shelves.’ Your virtual shelves are read, currently reading and to-read. It’s free to join, and the iPhone/iPod Touch App is also free to download and use. Feel free to discuss this review of Goodreads in our forums.

The Goodreads App basically allows you to administer your account on the go. If you don’t have a Goodreads account, the only features you’ll be able to use in the App are searching for book reviews and browsing popular titles. So, if you do have an account it’s well worth signing in so you have full functionality. If you don’t have an account but you’re a keen reader – I’d recommend signing up.

The great thing about this App is its portability. How many times have you stood in a bookstore, seen a book you’d like to read, then got home and forgotten all about it? Not any more! You can add the book to your to-read list so you can come back and grab it at a later date. If you’re anything like me, you might also use it to find out if you’ve already read a certain book!

Alternatively, you could be in the book shop umm-ing and ahh-ing about whether to part with your hard-earned cash on a certain book. The marketing blurb may have convinced you, but you want to hear it from the consumers! No problem; just open the Goodreads App, search for reviews and get other people’s thoughts before whipping out your wallet or purse. You could save yourself a considerable amount of money on rubbish reads!

Other features in the App include the ability, like many other social networks, to update your status. It’s completely up to you whether this is book related or not, but I guess it’s what your friends will be expecting. You can also post your own book reviews from your iDevice, ideal if you’re away from your computer but want to post your review whilst the book is fresh in your mind. You can also check out your friends and see what statuses, reviews and recommendations they’re posting; not to mention having a browse of their virtual bookshelves.

If you’re looking to pass some time, or want to look for something new, but you’re not sure what, then the Explore function is for you. Check out Listopia lists, which range from The Book Was Better Than The Movie to Great Vampire Books That Aren’t Twilight. You can also browse books by Genre, and Popular Books.

The Events Near Me function didn’t work – but I’m not sure if this is because I’m in the UK. I used the in-built GPS function to find my location, but given the nearest event was in Southlake, TX, I think something went wrong!

The layout of the App is nothing flashy, but then it doesn’t need to be. It’s functional and easy to use – in my opinion, there’s nothing more you could really want.

In a nutshell, the Goodreads App allows you to keep your friends updated on what you’re reading and how far you’ve progressed, and they can do the same to you. Find new books, rate old ones and check out what’s hot right now!

Goodreads is free, and more functionality has been promised in later releases, so really you’ve got nothing to lose! And if you’re on there, feel free to search for me!